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Monday, August 12, 2013

Monday Clarity

I don't know, something about unripened fruit and the not-yet-objectively
present. What am I talking about? Well, I decided to expand my mind today with
a little broader reading than usual. So
I picked up Basic Writing of
Existentialism from the bookshelf. I
have to say, existentialism is something I am not overly familiar with so I
figured it might offer something new and insightful. What I found was not insight into what
existentialism is or how to define what makes one an existentialist writer.

What I found as I read along in this book was that clarity
in writing is not something with which everyone is gifted. Perhaps I am not as deep as one needs to be
to follow along with this book. Perhaps
I am woefully unphilosophical. Or maybe,
just maybe, this writing is a little unclear.

See I was concerned earlier as I reread my soon to be
published collection of episodes. As I
described it to someone the other night, it is simply written and meant only as
light entertainment. There is no super
complex plot, people are exactly what they seem and it is easy to follow along
and understand the characters. It was
written with the intention of being a light and easy read because it was
written as separate episodes published on my website. A series published regularly on a website
needs to be something people can easily follow along with, somewhat short and
entertaining without requiring too much in depth analysis. The characters are not over the top heroes,
they are realistic people who get their asses kicked quite frequently because
that is what would happen to people just starting out on a new quest until they
really got the hang of things.

Anyway, my concern as I read through the episodes was that
they were too simple and lacked hard core complexity. Then I read this book about existentialism
today and realized that providing clear concise information is a good
thing. Simple entertainment can be a
good thing. Now on the other hand, if I
decide to write an elaborate book on my philosophical theorizing and the
meaning of life and our place in the universe then I might have to layer on the
complex wording.

Having said my piece about this book on existentialism, let
me provide an excerpt and enlighten you on unripe fruit potential:

"For example, the unripe fruit moves toward its
ripeness. In ripening, what is not yet
is is by no means pieced together as something not-yet-objectively
present. The fruit ripens itself, and
this ripening characterizes its being as fruit.
Nothing we can think of which could be added on could remove the
unripeness of the fruit, if this being did not ripen of itself. The not-yet of unripeness does not mean
something other which is outstanding that could be objectively present in and
with it in a way indifferent to the fruit.
It means the fruit itself in its specific kind of being. The sum that is not yet complete is, as
something at hand, "indifferent" to the unhandy remainder that is
lacking. Strictly speaking, it can be
neither indifferent to it nor not indifferent.
The ripening fruit, however, is not only not indifferent to its
unripeness as an other to itself, but ripening, it is the unripeness. The not-yet is already included in its own
being, by no means as an arbitrary determination, but as a constituent.

...Still, the comparison with the unripeness of the fruit
does show essential differences despite some similarities. To reflect on these differences means that we
shall recognize how indefinite our previous discussion of end and ending has
hitherto been."